Marvel Relaunch Rumors – Hulk: Agents of SMASH?

Will Red Hulk's series be relaunched to tie into the upcoming animated series? And what are "The Uncanny Avengers?"

There are always rumors swirling in the comic world, and the fact that Jeff Parker's Red Hulk series, simply entitled Hulk, wasn't solicited for September has given rise to an interesting one. Marvel is developing an animated series for Disney XD called Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., which would likely include all the various new Hulk and Hulk-like folk who have sprung up in recent years – your Red Hulk, your Red She-Hulk, your O.G. She-Hulk, your Doc Samson, your A-Bomb, your Lyra and maybe even all the Warbound gang. Considering that A-Bomb, Shulkie and Lyra are currently in Hulk, and Red Shulkie shows up from time to time (being Red Hulk's daughter, natch), and Doc Samson's ghost was recently seen, it could very well come to pass that Hulk is being relaunched as Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. as well.

It COULD work. Parker has a great handle on all these Hulkfolk, and they should liven up the proceedings quite a bit. Yes, the same creative team would remain on the book, continuing the Red Hulk's storyline. Plus, it would make perfect sense for former general Thunderbolt Ross to try and start a new regiment by organizing the Hulks instead of letting them run rampant. Curiously, we've also heard that Jason Aaron is thankfully leaving The Incredible Hulk soon as well. Could the original Jade Giant be brought into the fold as well? Might be fun watching Bruce Banner and Thaddeus Ross trying to work together. Let's just hope they write off Aaron's run as a fever dream of some kind.

One other little rumor is something called The Uncanny Avengers. There was already some talk that Rick Remender's Secret Avengers was going to be rebranded as Astonishing Avengers in the post Avengers vs. X-Men world, but now it looks like they might be going full on Uncanny, with talk of Captain America and Wolverine co-running the team. Let the speculation begin on why this would happen – do Scotty Jive and the Phoenix Five destroy the X-Men's reputation so badly that even the X-Men have to become Avengers? Or will it be a combined force – half X-Men, half Avengers? We know that Brian Michael Bendis is leaving the Avengers books, and heavy rumors have him hopping onto the X-titles – is there more like this to come?

Is this all part of a wider "Marvel relaunch?" Maybe they'll do a New 52 thing like DC, but do it without half-restarting all their continuity in a confusing, haphazard manner like they did.

News will come, but so far, we trust both Parker and Remender to make these things work.